Mission Statement

Debbie Franceus believed that any woman who wished to, young or old, should have the resources to learn to fly.

Consequently, the Debbie Franceus Memorial Aviation Scholarship and its Foundation were founded in 2023 to award women the opportunity to advance themselves in their desire to pursue their dreams in aviation.



The Debbie Franceus Memorial Aviation Foundation was founded in 2023 to continue the mission and legacy of Aviatrix Debbie Franceus, passing from breast cancer in January 2023, and her desire to see women pursue their dreams to fly.

Debbie Franceus believed that any woman who wished to, young or old, should have the financial resources to make those dreams come true.

Debbie also knew that only 3% of pilots worldwide are female and that women bring a strong sense of diversity, safety, skill and professionalism to the cockpit and the flight deck.

Since the Foundation's inception in 2023, the Foundation has awarded 31 Flight Training Scholarships to women across the United States. These women are not only working on their initial pilot ratings, but also on advanced ratings to fly both personally and professionally. The Foundation plans to continue helping many more women achieve their goals in the coming years.

The Debbie Franceus Memorial Aviation Foundation is an IRS 501c3 nonprofit organization. Donations to the Foundation are fully tax deductible. The Foundation is dually accredited with Candid/Guidestar and Charity Navigator, receiving Platinum Status and 4 Star Ratings respectively, due to the Foundations goals, strong operating standards and financial transparency. To find out more about The Debbie Franceus Memorial Aviation Foundation, please visit our website at www.debbieflies.com. There, you will find information regarding our continuing mission, Debbie Franceus's history, our scholarship program, biographies of our past scholarship recipients, information about our fully voluntary Leadership team, media releases and much more.